CHP boosts presence on Santiago Canyon Road for weekend

CHP officer Todd Kovaletz uses a laser speed gun on cars driving on Santiago Canyon Road. After writing another ticket for a driver going 70, this time a resident of the area, Kovaletz found a straighter stretch of road to safely park and read cars with LIDAR, a laser speed gun. The goal was not to sneakily set up a speed trap, he said, but rather to be a visible cue for drivers to reduce their speed. CHP does not receive money from citations, he said, so motivation for special enforcement is strictly about public safety.SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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SANTIAGO CANYON – Just minutes from busy Orange County highways, the two lanes of Santiago Canyon Road have a country feel as they wind through the hillsides.

An arc of black skid marks leading into a smashed tree mar the pastoral scene – remnants of a recent crash that injured the driver. Cars might not crash on the canyon road with the frequency they do on the highways, said officer Todd Kovaletz of the California Highway Patrol, but when they do, drivers and passengers are less likely to walk away unscathed.

CHP officers are focusing on speeding and aggressive driving on Santiago Canyon Road through Sunday with extra patrols funded by a federal grant. The additional presence aims to send a message to drivers to slow down, Kovaletz said. Over about six hours on Thursday, officers issued 24 citations.

"If we can mitigate maybe one fatal collision or even one injury collision by the enforcement this weekend, as far as I'm concerned it's a success," he said.

In the last two years, 50 crashes on the road have resulted in death or injury, and seven people have died.

During commuting hours, the road draws drivers seeking to avoid gridlock on the 5, 55 and 241 freeways. On weekends, the scenic route is popular with motorcyclists.

Kovaletz said the likelihood of accidents increases when drivers and motorcyclists attempt highway speeds on a two-lane road. Blind curves, narrow shoulders, trees and bicyclists require quick reactions from drivers. If someone loses control, there are no center dividers or guard rails to protect vehicles from oncoming traffic and head-on collisions.

"It's just the danger of the road itself," he said.

During a Thursday patrol, Kovaletz had just turned onto Santiago Canyon Road from Jamboree Road when he came across a speeding driver. Radar confirmed that the black Dodge truck was going 70 mph, and after stopping and ticketing the driver, Kovaletz returned to patrol the canyon.

The majority of drivers stay near the speed limit, Kovaletz said. He didn't have to travel far, however, before coming across another driver going 70, this time in a black Ford Explorer. Drivers might complain about receiving a ticket for going 15 miles above the 55 mph speed limit, but on this road, a little bit of extra speed can make a difference, he said.

"When you look at all the factors, 55 is even a little fast," Kovaletz said.

After another pass through the northern half of the canyon, a white Lexus flew by at 74 mph. Kovaletz spun the squad car around and followed the driver. He had put on the brakes going past the CHP officer, and then sped up again.

"That just tells me this is someone who will speed regardless," Kovaletz said.

Once stopped, the 19-year-old driver said he was interested in becoming an officer. He still got a ticket, but Kovaletz also gave him information on the CHP Explorer program.

After ticketing another driver going 70, this time a resident of the area, Kovaletz found a straighter stretch of road to safely park and read cars with a laser speed gun. The goal was not to set up a speed trap, he said, but rather to be a visible cue for drivers to reduce their speed. CHP does not receive money from citations, he said, so motivation for special enforcement is strictly about public safety.

"This is not a revenue machine," he said. "This is a get-people-to-slow-down machine."

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CHP officer Todd Kovaletz uses a laser speed gun on cars driving on Santiago Canyon Road. After writing another ticket for a driver going 70, this time a resident of the area, Kovaletz found a straighter stretch of road to safely park and read cars with LIDAR, a laser speed gun. The goal was not to sneakily set up a speed trap, he said, but rather to be a visible cue for drivers to reduce their speed. CHP does not receive money from citations, he said, so motivation for special enforcement is strictly about public safety. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A LIDAR, laser speed gun shows the speed of cars driving on Santiago Canyon Road. This particular device projects a laser beam onto the bumper of an oncoming car at a range up to 2,000 feet. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The driver of a Ford Explorer hands CHP officer Todd Kovaletz the portable ticketing device after signing her name to a citation. The CHP is cracking down on speeding in Santiago Canyon, which has contributed to four fatal crashes and 45 crashes with injuries in the last two years. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
CHP officer Todd Kovaletz uses a hand held device to scan a driver's license as he issues a citation for speeding on Santiago Canyon Road Thursday. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
CHP officer Todd Kovaletz issues a speeding citation to a pickup truck driver on Santiago Canyon Road Thursday. The CHP is cracking down on speeding in Santiago Canyon, which has contributed to four fatal crashes and 45 crashes with injuries in the last two years. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
CHP is cracking down on speeding in Santiago Canyon, which has contributed to four fatal crashes and 45 crashes with injuries in the last two years. Officer Todd Kovaletz issues a speeding citation to the driver of a Toyota pickup truck on Santiago Canyon Road Thursday. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
CHP officer Todd Kovaletz talks to the driver of a Lexus after pulling him over on Santiago Canyon Road Thursday. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
CHP is cracking down on speeding in Santiago Canyon, which has contributed to four fatal crashes and 45 crashes with injuries in the last two years. Officer Todd Kovaletz talks to the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup he pulled over for speeding on Santiago Canyon Road Thursday. SAM GANGWER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An 18-year-old Tustin man was killed and five others were injured when their car hit a tree off Santiago Canyon Road near Irvine Lake in 2001. California Highway Patrol investigating officer D. Hansen said Jesus Manzo-Torres was driving a 1996 Subaru Legacy wagon with five passengers at a "at a high rate of speed" around 1:45 a.m. Sunday when he lost control and it smashed into a tree near Irvine Lake. The vehicle split in two, with the front half wrapping around the tree. Manzo-Torres was booked on suspicion of manslaughter and driving under the influence. COURTESY ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY
Tow truck driver Dave Poe carefully climbs down an embankment to retrieve a Honda CBR motorcycle off Santiago Canyon Road, south of Modjeska Canyon, September 1, 2011. According to CHP officer J. Zaspal, a 22-year-old man riding the Honda CBR was headed southbound on Santiago Canyon Road when he hit the curb as he tried to pass a stake-bed truck. According to a witness, the motorcyclist used the bike lane on the right side to pass the truck. The rider was taken to a nearby hospital. FILE: BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An arc of black skid marks leads to a curb and a smashed tree (not pictured) along Santiago Canyon Road. FILE: BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
At the scene of a fatal crash on Santiago Canyon Road, near Irvine Lake in 2011, Ana Pacheco, 20, mourns her close friend Jorge Cisneros, 18, who died in a car crash that also injured five of the car's passengers. Pacheco, who has known Cisneros since 6th grade, said he was, "Really cool, polite, and never a trouble maker." She said it was hard to hear that such a good person had passed away. FILE: BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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